Thursday, December 22, 2011

I am a huge fan of bronzers and have probably tried most of them out there. I have fair to medium skin so I'm always on the lookout for something not too dark and with not a lot of shimmer. I recently tried Vincent Longo's La Riviera Sun Bronzer in Golden Glow and instantly fell in love. It was truly the perfect color bronzer with just a tiny bit of sheen. I love how it provided enough coverage but didn't make it look like I was wearing makeup. Not to mention the smell! I wasn't really expecting the bronzer to even have a scent but this one was like a breath of fresh, fragrant air - like I was on a beach!

I also loved how beautiful it was - Vincent Longo is known for great packaging and this bronzer is created by "pressing several shades together in a unique dispersion pattern."

The bronzer is available in four shades: Beauty Sin, Golden Glow, Copper Kiss and Cassata. It retails for $32 and is available here!

Disclosure: This product was provided to me from Vincent Longo to test.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

I just was randomly looking for a good plain black headband and stumbled across everyone's go-to headband brand - Goody. As I was looking on the website, I found these amazingly cute satin headbands (and extremely reminiscent of the $10 American Apparel headbands). While the AA headbands are certainly not a bank breaker, you really can't go wrong with these at roughly $3.99.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

I was a little wary to try this Dior "airbrush-like" foundation since I had never experimented with a spray on foundation before. There was about a two second adjustment period after my first spray and the rest is history. This is probably the only foundation I will ever use again. It's that amazing. What's so amazing about it? You shake it (it sounds a little like a spray paint can), hold the can approximately six inches away from the face and spread an even layer. I like to do the forehead first and then move in a "Z" direction ending at the chin. Then I may do a little extra spritz on the cheeks (I try to contour even though I'm not great at it). Then I just rub it in a tiny bit with either my fingers or a foundation brush and voila - finished! A flawless face in about 30 seconds. I've found that this stays put all day. I usually put a little bronzer and blush on following but that's really all I need in terms of face makeup.

Two things to note when using this product:
1) I make sure to wear a headband (or at least pull my hair back) when spraying as it tends to get on my hairline
2) Since the foundation inevitably gets on my eyelashes, I always apply mascara following.

Although the price is a little steep at $62, you're really paying for perfect skin. Available at Dior.com and Sephora. I can't say this about most products but this one really has changed my life (and my morning routine)!

I was never such a moisturizer addict until very recently, probably due to my skin's ability to produce oil very quickly. Low and behold, I've found two extremely effective moisturizers for my combination skin that seriously don't leave behind a bit of greasiness - just smooth supple skin.

1) Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion - Yes, I'm aware that this has been on Allure's Best Of Beauty list for the past hundred years however it wasn't until recently when I was just browsing in a Sephora and the ubiquitous little yellow tube caught my eye. I just thought I should really give this another chance. It's now my go-to moisturizer each morning before makeup.

I purchased the 1.7oz airplane friendly tube for $13 at Sephora and suggest you do the same.

2) Pond's Dry Skin Cream - Another oldie but goodie that's been around for centuries (literally!) and yet I hadn't given a second shot until tonight. Even though the jar says it's formulated for dry or sensitive skin, my normal to combination skin soaked the cool cream right up with not a hint of oily residue left behind.

At less than $5 for a 3.9 oz. jar, your face (and wallet) will thank you. Find it here.